MotionBuilder cloth solver public beta available

#1

Hiya,

I’ve just released a public beta version of my realtime cloth solver for MotionBuilder.
You can have a quick peek of it in action here:
http://www.brekel.com/

You’ll also find some more details and find out how to get (free) access to it if you want to be a beta tester.

Cheers,

#2

THAT… is incredible!

To me, it looks like it rivals Syflex! Keep up the GREAT work!!!

#3

No info on the link provided (?)

#4

Sorry but I had a bit of a nasty server crash and had to revert to a backup of the blog database. Will re-add stuff to the page soon.

In the meantime if you want in on the beta just drop me a mail or pm with your mail adres and I’ll fix you up.

Cheers,

#5

Any likelihood of a Mac OSX version?

Also, how much will it eventually cost?

What about cloth object like shirts will it eventually import from Maya?

The realtime is crazy. Great Job.

Thanks.

#6

Hi Jasper,

Installed and toyed with the beta for a brief period.

It is pretty amazing the realtime feedback !

Questions;
Have you come across a method to export out the cloth data ? (I have not attempted to get anything out of MoBu to this point.) I read in the help where you were asking for input/help in finding a way to get the geometry cache out of Mobu. This read to me that there was not a way to get cloth out of MoBu (?) Is this true? Without export ability, as either animated geometry or point cache, I am unclear as to the end use of the plug-in.

Do you plan on trying to get user objects to be used as contraint objects ? (IE… using a user mesh rather than a sphere or other MoBu primitive as a collision object) Right now it seems limited to primitives only for a total of 99.

Right now the beta shows it will expire at the end of the 9th month. I’ll probably contact you to see if we can extend this out some.

Please don’t take offense to any questions as I have not read through everything, nor played with this plug-in to any great extent yet.

Thanks for the listen
G’day

#7

Hi Guys,

Thanks for playing around and the kind words!
To answer some of the questions:

> Any likelihood of a Mac OSX version?
Unfortunately I don’t have access to a MAC version, so I’m afraid not any time soon.

> Also, how much will it eventually cost?
I haven’t decided anything yet. As this is just a little hobby project meaning and I don’t have a whole lot of time for support, I will keep if free for now.

> What about cloth object like shirts will it eventually import from Maya?
You can export any mesh object you want as FBX geometry, and the included scripts will export an ascii file describing which vertices are connected to which.
I’ve done some skirt tests, it helps if the mesh faces are spread out relatively evenly.

> Have you come across a method to export out the cloth data ?
Conceptually I can think of two methods: 1. geometry caches, 2. constraining objects to the cloth and plotting those.

  1. MotionBuilder can read geometry caches when they are created during the Maya/Max FBX export.
    I haven’t figured out how to create these from within MoBu though, and am not sure if this is possible at all. If someone knows more please let me know.
  2. I’m experimenting with plotting objects pinned to cloth vertices.
    However, since this cloth solver is implemented as a deformer it seems like Mobu isn’t calling the deform function when doing the plotting. So the constrained objects only get a single key. I’m busy on finding a hack for this if possible. So far a lot of effort but no final results yet.
  3. (Hey I said i only thought of 2 methods didn’t I)
    Create a separate chainSolver plugin that uses the same algorithm for solving joint chains that can be regularly plotted.

> I am unclear as to the end use of the plug-in.
I can understand that :slight_smile:
The idea of the plugin started while I was working on a project involving realtime mocap with Mobu as a previs tool on the mocap stage. And doing offline cloth solving outside of Mobu.
My solver allows our actors and director to get a feel of how the cloth will react in the final version, as wel as helping the motion editors during their work.

> Do you plan on trying to get user objects to be used as contraint objects ?
If you mean cloth to mesh collisions, at the moment no.
As I haven’t found an algorithm that is quick enough for realtime yet.
Sphere’s and capsules are mathematically quite easy and cheap to check intersections with. Polygonal meshes are much more involved afaik.

> Right now it seems limited to primitives only for a total of 99.
If 99 isn’t enough, that’s just a number I can easily raise internally. Willdo.

> Right now the beta shows it will expire at the end of the 9th month.
That’s mainly to push myself to keep on working on it for a little while longer.
And to get people to download a new version when it comes available.
At the end of the month just come back to my site, I’ll release and extended version or an updated one.

I’ll probably continue on it for a few more relases before it’s feature complete and fully stable.

If you’re in the middle of something and it’s about to expire just drop me a mail and I’ll fix you up. As this is a hobby/learning project I’m not trying to get rich from it, just a little famous :stuck_out_tongue:

Cheers,

#8

Hi Jasper,

Excellent answers to the questions and points raised. Thank you!

Everyone that I’ve shown the realtime sim’ ability to is pretty wowed… so,… you’ve got your ‘little’ bit of fame started !

nCloth (Maya) is a fantastic tool. You might want to try and contact Duncan (Lead Scientist behind nCloth) by dropping him a PM(here) or email. Who knows, might lead to bigger things !

Note; When exporting the cloth from Maya, one needs to type the name of the ‘bcd’ file extension, this is not automated by the script.

Keep up the good hobbying around !

I’ll keep you up to date with anything I come across when time permits.

#9

Yep I’ve used nCloth on an occasion or two :slight_smile:
Incredible indeed, and both Duncan and Jos Stam are gods as it comes to this.
Actually I think the base solver algorithm I use is based on the same principle and idea’s as theirs. Although nCloth is so much more advanced and controllable, and actually incredibly quick for the amount of calclations it does!

I might drop Duncan a PM someday telling how he inspired me to learn this stuff, are u sure you linked to the correct user?

Thanks for reporting the Maya script bug, I’ll fix that annoyance up soon.

Also note that I’ve upped a new plugin version valid for october.
No big changes yet just a few cleanup things, but I did raise the spheres/capsules count to 256 each now.

With a bit of luck the next version allows for pinning objects to the cloth and plotting them as that does seem possible to implement.

Cheers,

#10

Yep, sure had the wrong link there for Duncan… Don’t have a clue who the user was I placed in the link by accident… I’m sure you’ll locate him on your own when you are ready. (I do seriously suggest dropping him a line though… He might have some insight into porting the mesh data out. He might even show interest in helping you out with further implementation into MoBu,… he is part of the happy Adesk family after all… At least he should be happy if he took early year advice and sold at 51 a share… Yikes to the market today!!!)

I’ll download the update from your site shortly.

Thanks for the time and efforts!

#11

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